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Pages 1-12

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From page 1...
... Because methane, the main component of natural gas, releases less carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced during combustion than other fossil fuels, strong interest exists to use natural gas as a key source of energy in the nation's transition to a less carbon-intensive energy portfolio. In the United States, significant accumulations of methane hydrate occur in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Pacific and Eastern seaboards, and on the Alaska North Slope.
From page 2...
... However, whether methane once stored as methane hydrate has contributed to past climate change or will play a role in the future global climate remains unclear. The potential local environmental impacts associated with either natural or human-caused seepage of methane from methane hydrate are also poorly understood and need to be differentiated from other seepage processes before methane is commercially produced from methane hydrate.
From page 3...
... graduate education and training in this field of research. This report constitutes the committee's response to the DoE request and is intended for nonspecialists interested in future, environmentally and economically viable energy options which include national efforts to understand and develop methane gas contained in methane hydrate.
From page 4...
... In addition to serving a coordinating role for interagency methane hydrate research in these initial years, the Program solicited proposals and provided partial support for three large field projects coordinated as cooperative agreements with industry (one in the Gulf of Mexico and two on the Alaska North Slope)
From page 5...
... The scientific merits and successes of the research conducted through these field projects have generated new knowledge toward achieving sustained production of methane from methane hydrate. Project priorities include verifying methane hydrate accumulation models and the design, drilling, logging, coring, and continuous monitoring of production wells to test the commercial potential of producing gas.
From page 6...
... Useful advances have been provided by some of these research projects to detect and estimate the extent of subsurface methane hydrate accumulations. However, accurate assessment of the temperature and pressure conditions for potential methane hydrate–bearing sediments is still needed to make better predictions of the quantity of the methane hydrate resource, as are seismic surveys dedicated to detecting shallow methane hydrate targets.
From page 7...
... The Program includes project selection and performance evaluation for two primary types of projects: (1) cooperative agreements selected competitively through public announcements and (2)
From page 8...
... These agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, Minerals Management Service (MMS) , National oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, Naval Research Laboratory, and the USGS, and each agency has contributed specific, useful research results to the national methane hydrate research and development effort.
From page 9...
... In particular, designing production tests, appraising and mitigating environmental and geohazard issues related to production, and quantification of the methane hydrate resource are identified as critical to achieving the Program goals on the Alaska North Slope by 2015 and in marine methane hydrate–bearing sand reservoirs by 2025. Production tests should be designed to include Development and demonstration of well completions with • appropriate production technologies.
From page 10...
... Appraisal and mitigation of environmental and geohazard issues related to production should include: Compilation of industry experience associated with conven • tional oil and gas production in areas where methane hydrate occurs. Organized workshops to solicit input and identify research goals • needed to evaluate and mitigate geohazards and environmental issues specific to the production of methane from methane hydrate and to perturbations of methane hydrate associated with other oil and gas development activities.
From page 11...
... Although understanding the role of methane hydrate as a source of global greenhouse gas is of general interest, this research is not uniquely related to realizing methane hydrate as an energy resource. However, quantifying ongoing, natural methane fluxes from methane hydrate on a local scale is needed to provide a baseline to evaluate the effects of any future production and development of the methane hydrate resource.
From page 12...
... The research progress, the positive impact the Program is having on raising the profile of and interest in methane hydrate as a potential energy resource, and the rate at which the Program is moving toward the goal of achieving production of methane from methane hydrate accumulations are all commendable. Achieving the Program goals will require sustained national commitment, because the cost of the necessary pre- and postdrilling assessments, field tests, and the associated laboratory and modeling studies will be substantial.


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